BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schmidt, G. D. (2007). The Wednesday wars. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780618724833
PLOT SUMMARY
Set in 1967, this tells about Holling Hoodhood, a Presbyterian 7th grader. With a teacher he is convinced is out to get him, daily death threats and the Vietnam War looming over everyone’s head, he has his work cut out for him. A home life that is too “perfect” and school life that filled with Shakespeare, how much worse could it get…? Did I mention the rats and the cream puffs?
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book brought me to tears. The characters were highly relatable and believable. I made connections to almost every character when I thought back to my middle school years. I could pick out the Swieteck brothers who no one wanted to mess with (but could be secretly nice), the Meryl Lee who was sweet but spiteful when it suited her, the Danny Hupfer always trying to fit in with the “in” crowd but somehow not managing fully.
The storyline kept you fully immersed in the late 1960’s with the emphasis on baseball and the players of the time, the Vietnam War and how it affected those at home, the technology and new machinery of the 60’s as well as the political issues of the time.
Even the home life was very much different from today. The mom was very rarely given speaking parts and she never spoke in contradiction with the Man of the House, even when she didn’t agree. The father was more concerned with work and the next big job than his actual family. He full expected his children to do as he said and have no original thoughts or ideals.
I loved how each chapter was broken into the months of school and, starting in October, each month a new Shakespeare story is studied. Somehow the story of the month relates to Holling’s life and lets him glean some vital information.
Mrs. Baker started out as Holling’s arch nemesis and slowly transitioned into more of a mother figure than his own. As Mrs. Baker showed more sides of herself to Holling, her worry for her deployed husband, her grief when he goes missing, her compassion when she gives Mai Tai her hot chocolate, along with many other acts towards all of her students, he began to see her as more than a teacher but as a full human being. He could see she was hard on him because she saw great potential. She pushed him academically, emotionally and physically to become the best version of himself. She encouraged him to think for himself and figure out what makes him truly happy instead of just doing what’s expected. Mrs. Baker shows the true roll a caring teacher can have on a child.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
“Schmidt has a way of getting to the emotional heart of every scene without overstatement, allowing the reader and Holling to understand the great truths swirling around them on their own terms.” – Kirkus Review June 18th, 2007
“Funny, breathtakingly poignant '60s coming-of-age tale.” – Matt Berman, Common Sense Media
CONNECTIONS
*What kind of drills did they have in the 1960’s that we no longer have today? What drills are implemented in schools today that were not needed back then? Create a Venn diagram to compare the two types of drills.
*What teacher has had the most impact on you so far? Why? How does it compare to Mrs. Baker and Holling’s relationship?
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